Harlan h



(No Model.)

H. H. H-ENLEY. SAFETY-GUARD POR GARS.

10.547,258. Patented 001;. 1, 1895,.

QaooaQoaaau Nrrnn rarrns HARLAN H. HENLEY, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA,ASSIGNOR ATO THE HENLEY CAR FENDER COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

SAFETY-GUARD FOR CARS.

SPECIFICATION forming part Aof Letters Ilatent No. 547,258, datedOctober 1, 1895.

Serial No. 552,830, (No model.)

To aZZ whom t may concern,.-

Be it known that I, HABLAN H. HENLEY, a citizen of the United States,residing in the city and county of San Francisco, State of California,have invented an Improvement in Safety-Guards for Cars; and I herebydeclare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of thesame.

My invention relates to a device which is especially adapted forapplication to street and other cars for the purpose of preventing humanbeings and other objects from passing beneath the wheels of a movingcar.

It consists in certain details of construction, which will be more fullyexplained by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure lis a side sectional elevation of the front portion of a car-frame withindependent truck. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same. Fig. 3 is anenlarged sectional view of one of the fingers of the guard. Fig. 3 showsthe tipl retracted on the finger. Fig. 4 is an enlarged view of thelatch.

A is the floor and framework of the car, which,in the present case, isshown mounted upon independent and supplemental trucks. I have hereshown only the front end of the truck-frame B and a single wheel C toshow the relative location of the parts of my apparatus. Upon the frontof the truck-frame are brackets or supports D, and hinged to these bymeans of linger-bars F3 and a fulcrum-shaft E, which extends across thefront of the car, is a series of independent fingers, the front ends ofwhich are adapted to be raised from the surface of the ground ordepressed, so as to rest upon the ground. These'ngers consist of elasticsteel shanks F, with the flat surfaces presented upwardly anddownwardly. Below these ngers are riveted the supplemental curved steel-plates F, which extend `forward nearly to the front ends of the ngersF, where they are curved upward, as shown at F2.

G represents tips, which fit slidably upon the ends of the fingers F,the lower portion of each tip having a triangular form, as shown at G',and movable over the ends F2 when the tips are moved backward or forwardupon the lingers, as hereinafter described. A spindle or shank H extendsrearwardly from each of these tips, passing through suitable guideslfixed to the linger F, and by means ot' coiled springs I'the tips arenormally forced forward, so that the upturned ends F2 of the plates Fform contact with these sliding tips just in rear of the inclinedtriangular portion G. When the lingers are thrown down, so as to restupon the surface of the ground or the track, they will travel over thesurface, sliding upon the forward portion of the triangular incline G',and each finger will rise or fall `by reason of itsA elasticity toaccommodate the whole structure Ito irregularities in the surface, suchas are caused by cobble-stones,

basalt blocks, or other irregular surfacing or paving. If at any timeeither one of these points strikes a stone which presents an abruptsurface, over which the tip would not ordinarily slide, the tip isimmediately forced backward, compressing the spring I, and as vit movesbackward it is also lifted by the sliding up of the incline forming therear portionof Cr upon the upturned portion F2 of the plate F. Thislifts the point ofthe tip G until it rises sufficiently to slide overthe obstruction, when the spring I will instantly force it forward toits normal position, and

'after passing the obstruction it will again 4 The front end of the barJ has a lug J', which is adapted to engage with a catch M upon the upperend of a hanging apron or Vframe N, which is fulcrumed, as shown at `O.This hanging frame may be made of iron or other suitable material,preferably covered with rubber, so as to be soft, andit extends downwardto a point near the track.

When the device is set, the lug J is engaged by the catch M, and theswinging apron N hangs in a vertical positioh. Whenever a body comes incontact with this swinging device N, the lower 'portion 1s thrown IOOback and the upper portion moving forward about the fulcrum O`disengagesthe catch M from the lug J', thus allowing the front end of the bar J,which projects beyond the lug, to fall upon the curved portion M of theupper end of the bar N. The bar J is forcibly pressed down by a springP, of any suitable construction. In the present case it is a flat pieceof steel secured to a central timber, and, extending over the bars Jupon each side of the frame, it acts to press them both downsimultaneously. The projecting ends of these bars, as before described,acting upon the curved end IWI will cause the swinging fender N to betilted upward, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1. At the same time asthe front ends of the lever J are forced down the links Il draw up onthe rear ends of the fingerbars F3 and thus throw the tips G down uponthe surface of the ground or track, the spring P acting to retain themin this position, so that the object which by this time would havepassed to the rear of the swinging guard N would be picked up by thefingers'F.

When it is desired to again set the apparatus, it is done by themotorman or operator placing his foot upon a lever Q, which projectsfrom a f ulcrum-shaft R extending across the car-frame and journaled ateither end. Upon this shaft R and above each of the arms J areprojecting arms S, which, when the lever Q is depressed, act upon thearms J to depress them, bending the spring P upwardly and raising thefront ends of the arms J until they allow the apron N to swing into itsnormal vertical position, when the lug J will again engage the catch Mof the apron N and the parts will beset in their former position. Itwillbe seen that in addition to the independent vertical movements of eachof the fingers F I have provided a means for -preventing any breakage ofeither of them by striking an immovable obstacle by the peculiarconstruction and operation of the tips G, thus insuring a continuous andclose contact ofthe frontend of the guard with the surface, whatever maybe its irregularities. In order to prevent the body or obstruction frombeing dashed violently against the front of the car-truck when it isreceived upon the fingers F, I have shown a curved network or otherelastic or flexible screen U, extending backwardly and upwardly from therear of the fingers. If it is desired to disengage the apron N and allowthe fingers to drop without contact of the apron with anything,it isdone by means of push-rods a, the front ends of which form contact withthe apron-frame above the fulcrum O, and the rear ends are connectedwith rocker-armsb, turnable loosely upon the shaft It. A foot-lever cextends back from the hub or sleeve of the lever b, so that the operatormay depress it with his foot and easily disengage the apron and drop thefingers. It will be manifest that the yielding self-adjusting tips maybe attached to an unyielding or a continuous apron or guard as and liftit from the surface, in combination with tips slidably connected withthe apron, and adapted to move over the surface beneath, and a device bywhich, when the tips are forced backward, they are raised to pass overan immovable object with which they contact.

2. In a safety-guard for cars, the elastic fingers adapted to rise andfall vertically, having tips slidable upon their outer ends and adaptedto move over the surface upon which they rest, and a device by which,when the tips are forced backward, they are raised to pass over animmovable object with which they make contact.

3. In a safety-guard for cars, elastic fingers having a verticalmovement, tips slidable upon the front ends of the fingers and adaptedto rest upon the surface beneath when the fingers are depressed, platessecured to the lower parts of the fingers having the front endsupturned, inclined surfaces forming contact with said upturned endswhereby the tips are raised when moved to the rear by contact with animmovable object, and springs acting to return the tips to their normalposition with relation to the fingers after the object has been passed.

4:. In a safety-guard for cars, elastic fingers fulcrumed to have avertical movement and having tips adapted to move in close contact withthe surface when depressed, a swinging apron or fender fulcrumed to thecar at a distance in front of the fingers, lever arms fulcrumed to thecar having the rear ends connected with the rear ends of the fingerbars, and the front ends adapted to engage the upper end of the fenderwhen in a normal position whereby the fingers are raised and maintainedabove the surface while the parts are in this condition. Y

5. In a safety-guard for cars, fiexible, vertically moving, independentngers, having tips adapted to move yieldingly over the surface whendepressed thereon, fulcrumed fini ger bars to which the ngers areattached having the rear ends connected with tilting levers upon theframe above, a spring acting to depress the front ends of said leversand thus throw the fingers down into contact with the IOO IIO

surface, a Swingin g guard or fender fulcrumed is thrown up ont of theway by theaction of the spring upon the levers.

6. In a safety-guard for cars, vertically tilting elastic n gers havingtips adapted to travel yieldingly over the surface when depressedthereon, and spring-actuated lever arms fulcru med to the car above,connected at the rear end by links with the fulcrumed linger bars, aswinging guard or fender suspended beneath the front ends of saidlevers, having catches adapted to engage lugs upon the levers Awhen thefender is in its normal vertical position, whereby the lingers areraised out of contact with the surface, cam surfaces upon the upper endof the swinging guard upon which extensions of the spring-actuatedlevers press when the guard is disengaged from the holding lugs, wherebythe guard is instantly swung up ont of the way by its own disengagement.

7. In a safety-guard for cars, vertically movable elastic finger barshaving tips adapted to move yieldingly over the surface beneath, when incontact therewith, spring-actuated levers fulcrurned to the sides of thecar frame and `connected by links with the rear of the fulcrumed fingerbars, whereby the lingers are thrown down into contact with the surfacewhen the levers are released, lugs near the frontcnds of the levers, aswinging guard suspended beneath and adapted to engage said lugs, so asto raise the upper ends of the levers, and also the lingers, said guardbeing thrown up into an approximately horizontal position by thepressure of the levers when the guard is disengaged from its holdingcatch, ameans for raising the front ends of the levers and allowing theguard to swing into its normal position and latch the levers, said meansconsisting of a rocker shaft and levers pressing upon the rear ends ot'the springactuated levers, and a foot lever by which they are actuated.v

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

HABLAN H. HENLEY. Y

Witnesses:

S. H. NoU'RsE, J EssIE C. BRODIE.

